By By Daily Press Staff
MONDAY, JAN. 22, AT 2:30 A.M. Santa Monica Police officers responded to the 1200 block of 18th Street, regarding an assault. When officers arrived, they spoke with a homeless man who said he was sleeping in a doorway when he was awakened suddenly by his common law wife, who was allegedly striking him in the face with a long chain wrapped around her right hand. Police said the chain was more than a foot long. The victim said it was an unprovoked attack. He managed to get away from the woman and call police. The woman fled and was apprehended a short time later. She was arrested and transported to the Santa Monica Jail where she was booked for assault with a deadly weapon and for violating a stay-away order. She was identified as Debra Cohen, 39, a transient. Her bail was set at $30,000. The victim refused medical attention, police said.
SATURDAY, JAN. 27, AT 2:20 A.M. Officers responded to the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Ocean Avenue regarding a man who claimed he had been robbed while walking on an access bridge near the California Incline. When officers arrived, they made contact with the alleged victim, who said he was walking across the bridge when a man asked him for help. When he approached, the man allegedly grabbed his neck and began choking him. A woman who was with him took off the victim’s backpack and began to rummage through it, police said. The victim was able to break free and ran to call police. Armed with a description of the suspects, the officers found the two still on the bridge and arrested them for strong-arm robbery. The backpack and all of its contents were recovered. The victim’s injuries were minor, police said, and he did not require medical attention. The suspects were identified as Janice Marie Johnson, 36, a transient, and Christopher Charles Raynor, 39, a transient. Johnson’s bail was set at $50,000. No bail information was available for Raynor.
SUNDAY, JAN. 28, AT 12:45 A.M. Officers responded to the 2500 block of Santa Monica Boulevard — CVC Pharmacy — regarding a report of shoplifting. When officers arrived, they spoke with a store employee who said a man walked into the pharmacy and asked her where he could find some trash bags. A few minutes later, the man was seen walking out of the store with a large trash bag full of items from the store, police said. The clerk told the man he had to pay for the items. He allegedly made some derogatory comments and then left. Police tracked the suspect down at the corner of Yale Street and Santa Monica Boulevard. He still had the plastic bag filled with items, including two disposable video cameras valued at $60, three packs of BIC cigarette lighters valued at $16, one can of beer and some candy. Police said the man told them that he took the items because he believed he could sell them to get some money. The suspect was identified as Richard Emmitt Johnson, 51, a transient. His bail was set at $20,000.
SUNDAY, JAN. 28, AT 5:30 P.M. Police responded to the 300 block of Colorado Avenue — Macy’s — regarding a shoplifting suspect in custody. When officers arrived, they spoke with store security guards who said they observed a man walking through the store and remove a watch from a display and put it under his armpit. He then allegedly walked around the store and when he thought no one was looking, he placed the watch on his wrist and walked out of the store. The man was taken into custody by store security, who searched him and found other items from Macy’s, including some boxer shorts valued at $22, some seat pants priced at $65 and a shirt valued at $45 dollars, police said. The suspect was booked for shoplifting. He was identified as Jose Garcia, 22, a transient. His bail was set at $1,000.
SUNDAY, JAN. 21, AT 11:45 P.M., Officers on routine patrol in the 1600 block of Alley 19, east of 19th Street between Colorado Avenue and Olympic Boulevard, spotted a man sitting in the alley with a beer can in his hand. When officers approached to investigate, they noticed the man had a knife in his pocket, police said. Officers conducted a search and fond a small plastic baggy containing methamphetamine. The man was arrested for drug possession and transported to the Santa Monica Jail. During a search at the jail, police said they found a pill in the suspect’s pocket that turned out to be Tylenol 3 with codeine, which he did not have a prescription for. The suspect was booked for possession of the meth, the pill and for carrying an open container of beer. He was identified as Johnny Cabacera, 45, a transient. His bail was set at $10,000.
MONDAY, JAN. 22, AT 7:45 P.M., Police responded to the 1200 block of the Third Street Promenade — the Apple store — regarding a shoplifting suspect in custody. When officers arrived, they spoke with store security who said a former employee was visiting the store when he took a wireless Internet card valued at $100. Store security did not realize the theft until the man had left. Using the former employee’s personal information, which was still on file at the store, security was able to call the suspect and asked him to return to the store, which he did. When he arrived, the former employee denied taking the card, but after further questioning, later admitted it, police said. The suspect told police that he threw the card in a trash can after leaving the store. He took the officers to the trash can and the card was recovered, police said. The suspect was arrested for shoplifting. He was identified as Alexander Comacho Williams, 27, from Los Angeles. His bail was set at $20,000.
FRIDAY, JAN. 26 AT 9:15 P.M., Police on routine patrol in the 1200 block of the Third Street Promenade observed a man sleeping on the sidewalk with a radio and battery charger plugged into an outlet on a street light. Because he had no identification, the man was arrested for the theft of utilities, police said. He was identified as Richard Bernard Washington, 53, a transient. His bail was set at $500.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 2, 2007. Read the original PDF.